Page 131 of Beach Vibes

Jana’s expression turned sympathetic. “I’m sorry you’re dealing with that.”

“It’s okay, because Iamdealing. I know that ignoring whatI’ve learned will only hurt me.” She looked at her friend. “At first I thought I’d lost him, but now I understand that he was already gone. I’m seeing the truth.”

“He’s still family.”

“Yes, but he’s not anyone who cares about me. I deserve people who love me and support me in my life. If he’s not going to be that, then I’m better off with him gone.”

Jana nodded. “The words sound good. Do you believe them?”

“Mostly. I have my weak moments when I miss him—or at least the him I thought he was.”

“And Teddy?”

The softly asked question still stabbed her in the heart. She looked out at the ocean, wanting the timelessness of the waves to remind her that life went on. People healed and had lives that were relatively happy, even when they’d lost the one man they would love more than anyone.

“I miss him with every breath,” she said simply.

“I know, and I want to fix it. I don’t know how.”

Beth turned to her. “You can’t, and what happened isn’t about you or your fault. I know that. There’s nothing to fix.” She paused to gather a little courage. “I’m in love with him.” She held up her hand. “Don’t say anything. I just wanted you to know because he’s your brother, and you might worry that I have a little Rick in me. Maybe I do, I don’t know. I hope not. But when it came to Teddy, there was only good.”

She swallowed against the tightness in her chest. “So I’ve said it, and now we’re never going to speak of him again.” She wrinkled her nose. “I take that back. We’re going to talk about him because he’s your brother and stuff will come up. Regular ‘hey, we played volleyball this weekend,’ or whatever. I don’t want you to think you can’t say his name. It’ll be awkward at first, then it will get better.”

She squeezed Jana’s hand. “I want it to get better.”

“Me, too.”

“So, what’s new with you?” Beth asked, ready to stop talking about herself.

“I went and saw Galaxy today.”

Beth stared at her friend. “Holy crap. Seriously? You went and saw her? As in, ‘Hi, I’m the ex’?” She frowned. “Exis wrong. This is so complicated. We need new words to describe it all.”

Jana nodded. “We do. I’d been thinking about going to see her, but wasn’t sure if it was the right thing or not. If it was me, I’d want to know my boyfriend was cheating.”

“I would, too.” But Beth wasn’t sure she would have had the courage to confront Galaxy. “What did you say?”

“I told her what had happened with Rick and showed her some selfies, and then I left.”

“Wow.” Beth couldn’t imagine any of that had been comfortable. “I wonder what she’s going to do with the information.” While her interactions with Galaxy had been brief, the other woman had been very sweet and genuine. She deserved someone who treated her better.

“I do, too,” Jana admitted. “If you hear anything, please tell me.”

“I will.”

Her friend looked at her. “I also want you to change back to Thursday at the food bank. It’s not the same without you.”

Beth smiled. “I promise I’ll do that today.”

“Good. I want us to be hanging out again. Maybe we could do something with Linnie.”

Beth nodded. “I’d like that a lot. I’m taking horseback riding lessons.”

“What?” Jana laughed. “That’s so great. How’s it going?”

“Good. I ride a horse named Rocky. He’s huge, but very gentle. He’s patient with me, which I appreciate. Linnie might like learning to ride.”

“She absolutely would. I’m the one who’s too terrified. How about if we just hang out here on the beach instead?”

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